Old triggers . . . something I thought I would never separate from. But I have (for the most part!). I am convinced Jesus has been working on this hurdle with me since I first read Volume One back in 2006. After 8 years of being immersed in this mission, I am happy to say He has finally broken through the barrier. The other day someone called me with information which, in the past, would have triggered an outburst of insecurity. But instead, I found myself calm, looking past the message of the caller. In lieu of anger, I was presented with an opportunity to pray for His Strength and Guidance. When Jesus is in your heart, I mean really in your heart, it is so much easier to live a peaceful life.
Todays Gospel (Matthew 7:21-29) is quite blunt . . . actions speak louder than words:
Jesus said to his disciples: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’ Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’
“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”
When Jesus finished these words, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.
In Anne a lay apostle's book Lesson in Love, she teaches us that only we as individuals can soothe the ache of our absence in Our Heavenly Father's heart:
Todays Gospel (Matthew 7:21-29) is quite blunt . . . actions speak louder than words:
Jesus said to his disciples: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’ Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’
“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”
When Jesus finished these words, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.
In Anne a lay apostle's book Lesson in Love, she teaches us that only we as individuals can soothe the ache of our absence in Our Heavenly Father's heart:
"The Father’s total devotion to each one of us is actively expressed in the presence of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ crucified in the
timelessness or the eternal present that is truth, longs for comfort from each
one of us personally. The hunger of the Lover for the beloved can only be
satisfied by one person, that is, the beloved. It is not possible for any one or
any thing to provide the consolation that can quench the thirst
poor Jesus crucified feels for each one of us. God, in His pure love, desires a
love response from each of us in this way. Imagine the Lord’s painful longing
on the cross. Because of this true bond of intimacy, between the Creator and
the created, God is vulnerable to being wounded in the person of Jesus Christ.
The longing He feels for each one of us insures that He feels a painful craving
for, as an example, my love. My love and devotion will satisfy His longing for
me, but it will not satisfy His hunger for the reader’s love. I am saying that our
devotion to Him will console Him in His pain, but nothing can replace His ache
for each individual and this is why the vertical relationship between Jesus
Christ and each person is irreplaceable and unrepeatable.
Once I prayed to St. Therese and told her that I loved her. She began to speak and said, 'I love you, too, Anne, and we are all linked together because the love of God is such a force that it fills us all in heaven and flows out through us and between us and through us also to each person on earth. Our brothers and sisters on earth, meaning the Church militant, experience the same thing, albeit imperfectly because of their remaining humanity, but it is God’s love and the reciprocal response of love for God which bonds us together.' Yes, only the beloved can ease the terrible ache and pain Jesus feels. Even the smallest glance of love from us, the Lord’s beloved, can provide relief, joy and intimacy for Him. We must never underestimate our power to console and comfort the Divine Victim. Once the Lover claims the heart of His beloved, meaning each one of us, He can rest in the commitment of His beloved and in that relative security He can then see about other affairs through us and together with us, proceeding, as it were, from the solid foundation that is the bond. The two, Jesus and the individual, proceed as one."
Lay apostles, do you perceive each threat or attempt to disrupt your peace by another a chance to rely on Christ? Or, do you blow up repeating old habits of reacting to triggers? It is not a quick process, but with Jesus by our side at all times, we can change. So, if something triggers an old wound today, be calm and ask Jesus to send some graces to help you through it. He will never fail you.
Thank you, Lord, for the work You have done in my heart and soul. And, thanks for all Your Patience while I got here!
God bless,
Bonnie
Once I prayed to St. Therese and told her that I loved her. She began to speak and said, 'I love you, too, Anne, and we are all linked together because the love of God is such a force that it fills us all in heaven and flows out through us and between us and through us also to each person on earth. Our brothers and sisters on earth, meaning the Church militant, experience the same thing, albeit imperfectly because of their remaining humanity, but it is God’s love and the reciprocal response of love for God which bonds us together.' Yes, only the beloved can ease the terrible ache and pain Jesus feels. Even the smallest glance of love from us, the Lord’s beloved, can provide relief, joy and intimacy for Him. We must never underestimate our power to console and comfort the Divine Victim. Once the Lover claims the heart of His beloved, meaning each one of us, He can rest in the commitment of His beloved and in that relative security He can then see about other affairs through us and together with us, proceeding, as it were, from the solid foundation that is the bond. The two, Jesus and the individual, proceed as one."
Lay apostles, do you perceive each threat or attempt to disrupt your peace by another a chance to rely on Christ? Or, do you blow up repeating old habits of reacting to triggers? It is not a quick process, but with Jesus by our side at all times, we can change. So, if something triggers an old wound today, be calm and ask Jesus to send some graces to help you through it. He will never fail you.
Thank you, Lord, for the work You have done in my heart and soul. And, thanks for all Your Patience while I got here!
God bless,
Bonnie
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